Dak Prescott fined $25K for comments about refs

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott fined $25,000 for comments about referees

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 1/20/22

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott made multiple mistakes related to this past Sunday's playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers. One of those will cost him some money.

Prescott generated controversy shortly after the defeat when he seemed to defend unhappy Cowboys fans throwing beer bottles and other items toward referees as they ran off the field following the game's final play. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the NFL dropped the hammer on the 28-year-old Thursday and fined him $25,000.

"Oh, well, credit to them, then," Prescott responded Sunday evening when a reporter told him the fans were directing their anger toward the officials and not at Dallas players. The signal-caller never walked those comments back but found his name in headlines again Tuesday when the Twitter account for the National Basketball Referees Association shared a statement asking "the NFL to take action to discourage this deplorable behavior in the future."

Hours later, Prescott expressed remorse for his original message via Twitter:

I deeply regret the comments I made regarding the officials after the game on Sunday.

I was caught up in the emotion of a disappointing loss and my words were uncalled for and unfair.
— Dak Prescott (@dak) January 19, 2022

I hold the NFL Officials in the highest regard and have always respected their professionalism and the difficulty of their jobs.

The safety of everyone who attends a game or participates on the field of a sporting event is a very serious matter.
— Dak Prescott (@dak) January 19, 2022

That was a mistake on my behalf, and I am sorry.
— Dak Prescott (@dak) January 19, 2022

Regardless of anybody's opinion of the role the umpire played in the closing seconds of the Cowboys-49ers matchup, Thursday's development serves as a reminder that any NFL player who even teases that he's OK with fans throwing items at officials should expect to hear from the league office.

One would have to ask Prescott if the financial punishment is worse than being called out by Cowboys legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin for being one of the Dallas stars who didn't "show up and play" against San Francisco.

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